How to use a household budget spreadsheet

  1. Gather a typical month of bank statements.
  2. Enter income after tax, including benefits such as Child Benefit or Universal Credit.
  3. List fixed bills: rent or mortgage, Council Tax, energy, water, broadband, phone, TV Licence, insurance.
  4. Estimate variable spending: groceries, fuel, and fun. Use averages from your statements, not guesses.
  5. Add yearly costs as monthly amounts: divide annual bills by 12.
  6. Check the "left over" line. If it's negative, trim variable costs first, then shop around at renewal.
  7. Pay savings first on payday, as a bill to yourself.

Our UK Household Budget 2027 spreadsheet does the sums for you and works in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.

Written with the help of an AI assistant and checked before publishing. General information, not financial advice. Links to our own itch.io products; no affiliate links. Check figures against official sources such as GOV.UK and MoneyHelper.

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